


The Platonic Ideal

by artemisscribe



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Brotp, Domestic Fluff, kraft mac and cheese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-30 00:52:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12642795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemisscribe/pseuds/artemisscribe
Summary: When Penny's blind date goes less than well she can always count on her best friend to be there for her.





	The Platonic Ideal

John grins as his phone chirps with the custom ringtone. He doesn’t even need to look at it as he swipes to answer the call.

 

“Hey Pen,” he says as he goes back to watching a pan of water come to a simmer on the stovetop.

 

“Hello darling,” comes Penelope’s reply, “Have you eaten?”

 

“Just cooking now” John says, glancing at the holo of Penny with some suspicion.

 

“Is there enough for two?” 

 

John frowns and glances at his watch,

 

“I thought you had a date,” he says,

 

“Urgh,” Even through the low quality of the hologram Penny’s shudder is visible, “Don’t remind me. So what are we having?”

 

John grabs the blue box from the other side of the stovetop and gives it a shake in front of the camera,

 

“Mac’n’Cheese,” he grins, “The greatest meal in the history of the universe.”

 

“Americans” Penelope sighs,

 

“Don’t you get judgey with me,” John scolds, “Your people invented the french fry sandwich.”

 

Penelope pouts,

 

“You  _ know _ it’s called a Chip Butty, stop torturing me with your butchery of my language.”

 

John laughs at her,

 

“Alright, I’ll be nice, I swear.”

 

“Good,” Penny smiles, “I’ll be there in ten.”

 

“And Dinner will be ready in fifteen” John replies as he pours the macaroni into the pan.

 

*

 

Exactly ten minutes later the doorbell rings and Penny breezes past him with only the most cursory air kiss as she heads through the flat for his bedroom.

 

“So what happened with this date?” John calls after her as he goes back to drain the pasta.

 

“It was just too awful for words!” Penny calls back, “I had to make a dash for it before the starters even arrived!”

 

John chuckles at that mental image as Penelope comes back out of the bedroom, her little black dress and eight inch heels swapped for John’s MIT hoodie and a pair of thick socks. SHe’s so small that the sweatshirt comes down to her knees even with her arms up as she sweeps her glossy curls into a ponytail.

 

“Why do you let people set you up on blind dates?” John sighs as she comes to join him in the kitchen.

 

“Desperation?” Penny offers, “Hope that you’re not the only person in the world who actually understands me. Dear god John what is that?”

 

John glances at the pan where he’s just poured in the contents of the powder packet,

 

“It’s cheese powder” he says,

 

“It’s neon!” Penny cries

 

“Look it’s me, or your blind date,” he tells her, pointing at her with his wooden spoon for emphasis, “So you better be nice to me.”

 

“Fine,” Penny says, “Your abomination looks vaguely edible.”

 

“See! You can be nice about American things!”

 

Penny glares at him, but sits on the counter silently as he plates up and hands her a bowl. She stirs it around with her fork while he shoves the pan in the sink and goes rummaging through the fridge for a bottle of wine.

 

“How come you’ve never tried to set me up with anyone?” Penny asks,

 

“Because I respect you too much?” John offers as he passes her a glass of wine.

 

“But seriously though,” Penny insists as she follows him through to the living room where he has an episode of Captain Scarlet queued up and ready to go, “All of these people meddling in my love life, you must have at least thought about who you’d try me with?”

 

“I’ve honestly never thought about it,” John says, ignoring the mental image of how good Scott and Penny would look together, if only his brother would stop being such a dick to the girls he dates.

 

“Never ever?” Penny asks, eyeing him suspiciously as she tugs the blanket off the back of the sofa over her legs and tucks herself up against John’s side.

 

“Never ever,” John echoes, even as his brain starts to compare his best friend and his brother.

 

“I think that’s why you might just be my favourite person” Penny grins as she clicks play on the remote.

 

“You’re my favourite person too” John says quietly as he kisses the top of her head, “Now eat your abomination before it gets cold.”

 

They settle down into comfortable silence as the opening credits roll.

 

“You know,” Penny says after a while, “This stuff isn’t half bad.”


End file.
